Feeling Lucky... and Smart

Who doesn't love games night?

Whether it's a new game or a classic favourite, there's something about a bit of old-school family fun - maybe cards, maybe board games, maybe some other game of chance.

There'll be laughter, there'll be cheating, there'll be arguments - probably because of the cheating - but most importantly, by the end of the night everybody usually agrees that was better than watching another episode of whatever it is you're currently streaming.

The only problem is, some of those games aren't particularly portable - even games that use a flat board and don't have many playing pieces seem to come in a massive box more often than not.

It'd be great to be able to squeeze them all into one little bag.

From the people who brought you the GoCube - the smart cube that connected to your phone so you could learn to solve it in world-beating times - comes GoDice; basically the same principle but with dice.

As with the GoCube, the fun with GoDice starts before you even take them out of the packaging, which is a cardboard container that almost resembles some kind of geometric puzzle itself. Each sleeve removed or flap unfolded reveals another compartment.

Eventually you're presented with a square tube (if you can have a square tube) which is just as clever; It consists of a clear container for the six different coloured dice, with a twist cap on one end to get them out. This all magnetises onto the charging pack which we'll come to shortly. The point is, every little bit of the GoDice experience is innovative and original - if you're anything like me you'll be hooked before you even start playing. There's also a soft carry pouch and a perspex stand for your phone or tablet to sit in.

The concept is extremely straight-forward; with bluetooth-connected dice suddenly a long list of games are brought into the 21st century - you no longer have to keep score if your iPad can do it for you. In practice, I can only imagine how complicated it must be to develop the technology packed into each individual die - not just the inertial measurement unit to track orientation and position, but RGB LED lighting, bluetooth 5.0 connectivity and a "supercapacitor" for power.

This last feature is perhaps the most cunning, so let's start with how you charge the GoDice up. On the "five" side of each die, you'll notice tiny terminals set into the dots - you place this face onto the charger, pressing down slightly. The top of the charger lights up blue, then the dice flashes green when fully charged. Oh, by the way - that only takes about 10-15 seconds. How crazy is that? That part's easy. There's a small frustration in that the charging pack itself is powered by two AAA batteries. Yes, actual, conventional batteries. They're not included and you'll need a screwdriver to install them. This seems very odd to me given how rechargeable the dice are - why is the charging pack not just a lithium battery charged via USB? Who knows. Doesn't really matter.

There is actually a USB charging accessory available if it becomes a major issue for you.

Once all the dice have flashed green, it's literally time to let the games begin. You'll need the GoDice app either on your phone or more preferably, a tablet or iPad. The app still works on both Android or iPhone, it's just a much better experience with the extra screen real estate of a bigger device.

There's a fairly standard account setup for a login then you're walked through the pairing process - which really isn't much of a process - basically just rolling the dice a few times seems to be all that's required. When you first see your physical dice replicated exactly on screen, it's pretty freaky.

Then you have access to at least thirteen different games - with more being added over time. These include traditional options like Yatzy and Ludo Clash (presumably slightly altered titles for licensing reasons) Backgammon and Farkle. There are other games I've never seen or played before - utilising the power of your tablet to take the interactive possibilities of dice games to new heights.

Bomb Master is a maths-under-time-pressure game while Ship Captain Crew is a trivia challenge. There's truly something for all ages and abilities here and although it's a cliché; hours of amusement.

I don't know about you but one thing I find to be a real drag when it comes to board games is keeping score - especially for something like Yatzy, where if you don't have the printed score sheets to remind you what you're trying to throw for, you may as well forget it. With GoDice, that simply isn't an issue. Need to check the rules? They're just a swipe away.

This is amazing news for those of you into role playing games - with the addition of Go's optional RPG shells, you can convert your six-sided dice into polyhedral ones. By using the GORPG calculator in the GoDice app, you'll never have to worry about those complicated calculations again.

The true value here is twofold; GoDice is portable and versatile. The last board game I bought set me back fifty dollars. I can't just stick it in my pocket and it's only one game. GoDice goes anywhere and it's more than a dozen games in one cool little box. On top of all that it might even be educational! (Don't tell the kids though, that'd ruin everything)

    

    

Click here for more information on GoDice by Particula.